October 07, 2012

In rural Maryland, an hour-and-a-half drive from Washington, Bill Mason
is tilling his fields to plant organic maize and soybeans.
About two-thirds of his 340 hectares are organic, but not all of them. And that bothers some people.

“There are some die-hard organics," Mason says. "They think every organic farmer should not be planting any conventional.”

As both an organic and conventional farmer, Mason sits right in the
middle of a long-running debate over how best to feed the world.

Demand for organic food - produced without artificial fertilizers or
pesticides - is growing worldwide, but some experts doubt a growing
world population can be fed if farmers don't use these chemicals.

Critics of conventional farming say excessive fertilizer use pollutes
waterways, kills fish and contributes to climate change. Customers will
pay a premium for food produced without pesticides and fertilizers.

But Mason says his organic crops typically do not produce as much. “We
are finding that our corn yields are about three-quarters of the yield
of a normal conventional crop."

Ecological consequences

With those lower yields, feeding the world organically could require clearing more land for farms.

“We’ll have to get more land into cultivation to do it that way," says
Columbia University soil scientist Pedro Sanchez, "with horrible,
negative ecological consequences.”

Experts say deforestation to make way for agriculture is already contributing to climate change and a loss of biodiversity.

And farmers will have nine billion mouths to feed by mid-century, which puts agriculture in a difficult position.

So experts are working on both sides of the equation. Cavigelli is
working to improve the productivity of organic farms using natural
fertilizers like chicken manure. The trouble, he says, is that often it
does not provide enough nutrients.

“We need to improve all systems. And so, what’s the best way to do that,
both to feed the world’s population but also to do it in the way where
we’re not destroying the planet?”

Many of the African farmers Pedro Sanchez has worked with have used
synthetic fertilizers to triple their yields, making a huge difference
in their food security.

Blended solution

“But as a scientist, I don’t like that as the solution," Sanchez says.
"And I will not preach it as the solution. I want to integrate that with
organically-produced nutrients.”

Organic nutrients, such as fertilizing cover crops, have worked out for
Bill Mason and his conventional-farming neighbors are taking notice.

“I think there’s ideas that we’re using that are carrying over to the conventional world,” Mason says.

So the ideal solution to feeding a world of nine billion might not
necessarily be a choice between organic or conventional farming, but
rather a blend of both.